ULEZ fine
You can get a ULEZ fine if your vehicle doesn't meet London's emissions rules and the £12.50 daily charge wasn't paid in time. The penalty is £180, but settling it within a fortnight brings the cost down to £90. You have 28 days to pay or challenge the notice. If you do neither, the penalty rises to £270 when TfL sends a charge certificate.
Pay the half price of £90 by 2 November 2026. After that it is £180 until 16 November 2026, the last day to pay or challenge.
The ULEZ PCN letter
PCN stands for penalty charge notice. That's the formal name for the letter TfL posts when a vehicle below the emissions standard entered the zone and the charge went unpaid. You may receive a separate notice for each day you drove in the zone without paying the required charge.
The zone takes in every one of the 32 London boroughs plus the City of London. The M25 isn't included. It runs around the clock, and the only day it closes is Christmas Day.
The penalty for missing payment
- £180the full amount on a PCN (penalty charge notice)
- £90when you settle it in the first 14 days
- 28 daysin which to pay or appeal
- £270once a charge certificate arrives
When the charge was not paid, TfL sends a letter called a PCN (penalty charge notice). Count the 28 days from the date of service shown on the letter.
These figures come from TfL.
Penalty amounts
How much you owe depends on how fast you act once the PCN arrives. If 28 days go by with no payment and no challenge, TfL sends a charge certificate, and that pushes the amount up.
| Payment timing | What you owe |
|---|---|
| Within 14 days | £90 |
| Day 15 up to day 28 | £180 |
| Once a charge certificate arrives | £270 |
Full details are on TfL's penalty charges page.
Challenging a fine
If you think the PCN is wrong, you can challenge it, but you need to do so within 28 days of it being served. If you think your vehicle meets the emissions rules, TfL's vehicle checker can confirm this using its registration number. The date it was first registered is a guide, not proof, and some vehicles met the next standard early.
Each vehicle has an emissions rating called a Euro standard. To drive in the zone without paying, petrol cars need Euro 4, diesel cars Euro 6 and motorbikes Euro 3. Electric vehicles always meet the rules. On some newer vehicles, the logbook shows the Euro standard in its D.2 section. For a definitive answer, TfL's vehicle checker looks up your vehicle by number plate.
Certain vehicles are exempt from paying altogether:
- anything built before 1 January 1973
- anything over 40 years old that's taxed in the historic vehicle class
- vehicles taxed as 'disabled' or 'disabled passenger vehicle', up to 24 October 2027
- taxis licensed in London
- showman's vehicles that TfL has on its register
The complete list is on TfL's discounts and exemptions page.
Key dates
Both the 14-day and the 28-day deadlines start on the day the PCN was served. Say the notice was served on 1 October 2026. The reduced rate lasts until 14 October 2026. You then have until 28 October 2026 to pay or challenge it, and if it is still unpaid after that, a charge certificate raises it to £270.
Ways to pay a ULEZ PCN
There are several ways to pay:
- online, by viewing your PCN on TfL's website
- through the free TfL app, by choosing the 'Pay Penalty' option
- by sending payment by post to TfL's ULEZ office at PO Box 553, Darlington DL1 9TZ
Questions people often ask
I forgot to pay ULEZ. What happens now?
The £12.50 charge can still be settled, but only until the end of the third day after your trip. If you miss that, a PCN follows. For future journeys, TfL's Auto Pay is free to register and bills you monthly for charges you owe, helping you avoid a fine for forgetting to pay.
What happens if I drive through ULEZ?
If your vehicle doesn't meet the standard, even a short trip through the zone costs the full £12.50 for that day, except on Christmas Day when there is no charge. Vehicles that meet the standard don't pay anything.
Paying on other websites: is it safe?
TfL warns against paying through unofficial websites. Safe options for the daily charge are TfL's Pay to drive in London site, the free TfL app, paying by phone, or Auto Pay.